Clothes wringer



Feb. 24, 1925.

O. M. OTTE CLOTHES WRINGER Filed Jan. 18. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m( /NVENTOR Fatented Feb. 24, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

GTI-I0 IVI. OTTE, OF TARENTUM, PENNSYLVANIA..

CLOTHES WRINGER.

Application filed January 18, 1923.

To all whom it may concern.' I

Be it known that I, O'rHo M. GTTE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of y new and useful Invention in Clothes ringers, of which the following is a specification.

This invent-ion relates to improvements in clothes wringers and one object is to produce a wringer which is more eiiicient than the standard wringers with which I am familiar.

Another object is to produce a wringer' in which it is impossible for clothes or other articles being wrung to become wrapped 'around the wringer rolls.

Another object is to produce a wringer which will automatically and progressively compact the articles prior to their entrance through the wringer rolls in such manner that the buttons, if any, on such articles, will be arranged in such position (for pres entation to the rolls) as to prevent the same from heilig torn off or broken.

A further object is to produce a wringer in. which the liability to pinch or crush the lingers or hands of the operator is reduced to a'minimum. Y

A still further object is to produce a wringer of long serviceable life and one in which the vital parts entering into its makeup may be readily and cheaply renewed.

A still further object is to produce a wringer having the above characteristics which may be manipulated and adjusted in the same manner as the ordinary wringers of today are manipulated and adjusted.

These, as well as other objects which will readily appear to those skilled in the wringer art, I attain by means of the device described in the specification -and illustrated in thedrawingsv accompanying and form-.

ing part of this application.

In order to embody my invention in a wringer which maybe adjusted and operated in a manner as nearly like the ordinary wringer is adjusted and operated has been one aim in designing the wringer illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view in eleva tion of a hand wringer embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the same looking atthe gear end of the wringer. Fig. 3 is a view in sectional ele- Serial No. 613,394.

ration through the center of one of the wringer end members. In this view, the compression rolls of the wringer are shown in operating position as are also the endless conveyor belts. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but in this view, the spring tension on the compression rolls has been released, as well as the tension on the endless conveyor belts. Fig. 5 is a view in side sectional elevation showing the relation (in operative position) between the compression rolls, the endless conveyor belts and the idler rollers for the conveyor belts and is taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The wringer illustrated is provided with end posts or end members 10-10 connected near their bottoms by tie members 11-11 and near their tops by a cross connecting member 12. Clamping devices 13 of ordinary construction are employed for securing the wringer to a wash tub or other suitable support. Instead of vulcanized or soft compression rolls as now commonly used, I employ hard compression rolls 14 and 15. rIhese, as with the present type of rolls are preferably mounted in bearings carried in boxes 16 and 17 confined and slidable with.- in slots 18 formed for that purpose in the wringer end posts.

The compression rolls 14 and 15 are prefcrably formed of cast iron and are preferably made by casting the rolls ont-o steel spindles. Each of the rolls at its center is grooved as shown at 19 toprovide a way or channel for accommodating a bead or ridge on the conveyor belt as will be here inafter described.

The spindles 20 and 21 of the compression rolls are provided with gears 22 of ordinary wringer gear construction which allow adjustment of the compression rolls without unmeshing the gears.

A leaf spring 23 secured at its`center to a sliding follower bar 24 has its ends resting upon blocks 25;5 whichv slide in the end member slots 18 and which bear against the tops of the boxes containing bearings for the upper compression roll 15.

Compression roll adjustment screws 26, such as are now commonly employed are threaded through screw blocks 27 conined against rotation wit-hin the upper ends of slots 18. The lower ends of adjustment screws 2G bear upon the ends Vof followerbar 24. A tie plate 28 spans the top of slot 18 andy strengthens the top of the wringer end post.

An endless soft rubber' belt 29 surrounds the lower compression roll 14 and on opposite sides of the compression roll is supported by idler rollers 30 and 31.` These idler rollers at their centers are grooved in the same way as the compressiona'olls and beltv 29 at the center of its inner surfaceis provided with a ridge or bead 32 adapted to ride within groove 19 vof the compression roll Vand the grooves in the idlerrollers. By this means, the conveyor belt is-kept in line and caused to run straight.

An endless belt 33 Vsurrounds upperV compressionv roll 15 and on opposite sides oit' the compression roll is .supported by idlerrollers 34 and 35, the inner surface of this belt is also provided with a bead 36'adapted to ride vwithin a groove in upper compression roll15 and grooves in lidler rollers 34 4and 35, Y'

The idler rollers have reduced ends and these are preferably provided with brass or.

bronze bearing sleeves 37. The idler `rollers are supported-so that they be moved laterally of the wringer end posts or toward and from the eompressionrolls to vary the tension of the endlessbelts u29 and 33. The arrangement is such' that this is `accomplished by means ot the screws A26V for varying the spring tension onthe compression rolls 14 and 15.

Idler rollers, 30, 31, 34 and 35 are mounted within bearingl holes formed inV The support farms are support arms 38. operatively connected to and depend-from adjustment heads 33a (one for eachside of the wringer) mounted on tension screws 26.

The adjustment Yheads are preferably formed ot metal l either malleable iron or steel stainpings) and asshown inthedrawings, each head consists of a curved top having` a. Vflattened. centralvvportion 39 providedwith a central opening whichsurrounds an unthreaded portion ot'V adjustnient screw 26 and whichcentral portion:

lies between two collars40'andf41,secured to the adjustment screw. trom the top portion of the adj ustmenthead and these sides are provided with horizontally extending slots 43. The, upper end of each :support arm 38 is provided. with a vertically :extending slot 44y andjpins 45 extend throughthe horizontally extending slots 43 in the sides 42j of theA adj ustment head Vand vertically extendingslots 44 in the upper ends of the support arms. The inner side of each support arm adjacent the end post ot the wrinaeris provided with corrugations 46, andl reverse.corrugations are provided in the adjacent face or"- the wringer Vend-post. The endless/.conveyor Vbelts hold the support arms in Contact with the wring- Sides 42 depend er end posts and in order to prevent side movementV of` the support4 arms 38 each arm is provided with a' vertically 'extending groove 47 within which a dowel pink 48 secured'to the wringer end post, lies. The slots allow the support arm to slide verticallyon the end posts a limited amount.

The support arms and the adjustment heads form -two inverted U structures which straddle the end posts. The support arms are of the same widthv as the end posts so that they do .not increase the overall length ofthe wringer.

The parts are so proportioned that when the oompressionrolls are in operative position under the desired tension, support arms 38 will'have been moved to the bottom of their travel and the endless conveyor. belts willbe under proper operating tension.

It will be seen that becauseot the general inclination of the Corrugated front and back surfaces of the wringer end posts with which the support arms` Contact, thejsupport arms in moving downwardly are valso causedl to move outwardly or laterally of the wringer compression rolls and therefore, the distance between idler rollers 3() and 31 is increased and likewise the Vdistance between idler rollers 34 and 35. As the support arms are moved up alongtlie inclined surfaces, the distance between the sets of idler rollers is decreased and the tension on the conveyor belts is, therefore, lessened.

The length of the slots 43 with relation` to the diameter oty the pins allows the `be reduced and this may be accomplished by backing' ott adjustment screws 26 thereby raisingl support arms; 38 and with them the idler rollers. ,lVhen the idler rollers are raised to the position shown in Fig 4. the tension on the conveying' belts will be suili-` Aciently reduced.`

Willen Vit iswdesired to adjust the wringer or placethe same 1n operativeiposition,-adjustinent screws- 26 will be turned down Vuntil the maximum compression is obtained between the compression rolls.` During this operation, the lost motion in the Connection betweeny the adjustment heads and. idler roller support arms will be. taken up and the idler rollers willbemoveddownwardly and outwardly to their operation `position thereby stressing the conveyor belts. If maximum compression of the compression rolls is not desired, the spring tension on the compression rolls may be reduced by backing off` the adjustment screws 26 without varying the tension oi' the conveyor belts. The interlocking corrugations between the idler roller support arms and the wringer end posts hold the support arms in adjusted position during the travel ot pins 4 5 within the elongated slots in the upper ends of the support arms.

The bearing holes 49 for the upper idler rollers are elongated so as to allow movement of said idler rollers away from the lower endless belt. If the hands of the operator pass in between the upper and lower idler rollers, the upper idler roller will yield or move upwardly within the elongated slots allowing the hand to be withdrawn. The movement of the upper conveyor belt tends to yieldingly hold the idler roller on the entering` side of the wringer toward the lower' limit of its movement in elongated slot 4:9.

The sides ot the elongated slots nearest the upper compression roll are concentric with the upper compression roll. The invention, it will be apparent is applicable to power wringers as well as hand wringers, and the details of construction illustrated may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit ot' the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. In a wringer having adjustable spring` tension compression rolls, four idler rollers arranged in pairs on'opposite sides of the compression rolls, an endless elastic belt surrounding each pair of idler rollers and one of the compression rolls, adjustable supports tor said idler rollers and means including a lost motion connection for varying the tension ot said belts.

2. The combination with the compression rolls ot a wringer mounted in bearings carried in the wringer end posts of means movable vertically of said end posts for varying the roll compression1 idler roller supports having a lost motion connection with said means, rollers carried by said supports on opposite sides of the lower compression roll, rollers carried on said supports on the opposite sides of the upper compression roll and having vertical 1n0vement independent of said supports, an endless belt surrounding the lower compression roll and the two lower idler rollers, and an endless belt surrounding the upper compression roll and the two upper idler rollers.

3. In combination with the compression rolls of a wringer, means for varying the roll compression, support arms having a lost motion connection with said means, idler rollers carried by said support arms on opposite sides of the lower compression roll, an endless elastic belt surrounding said idler rollers and said compression roll, idler rollers located on opposite sides of the upper compression roll and carried within vertically elongated slots in said support arms and an endless elastic belt passing around said rollers and the upper compression roll.

t. In combination with the compression rolls of a wringer mounted in bearings carried in the wringer end posts, means for varying the roll compression, support arms movable vertically and laterally of the wringer end posts and having lost motion connection with said means, rollers carried by said support arms on opposite sides of the lower compression roll, an endless belt passing around said rollers and the lower compression roll, rollers located on opposite sides of the upper compression roll carried by said support arm and having vertical movement independently thereof, an endless belt passing around said rollers and the upper of said compression rolls and means for holding said support arms in different positions vertically of said wringer end posts. y

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of January, 1923.

OTHO M. OTTE. 

